The men who had abducted Elsa continued up the Torres River until their boat finally pulled into the left bank.
"I'm afraid I’ll have to blindfold you now."
"..."
Elsa offered no resistance as they blindfolded her and hoisted her up; she had already lost the strength to fight back.
After about thirty minutes, they arrived at their destination. She could sense a shift in the atmosphere—the air was heavy with dampness and the faint, stale scent of mildew. It felt as though she had been brought into a room that had been sealed for a long time.
When the blindfold was removed, Elsa realized her hands and feet were no longer restrained.
"You’d better get some rest."
She turned toward the voice. A set of sturdy iron bars blocked the way, and a man in a black mask stood on the other side. Judging by the sound of his voice, he was the one who had forced the chanting-sealing choker onto her neck.
"Dawn is coming. Once the sun is up, the branch manager will want a word with you."
A man standing behind him, apparently a subordinate, slid a wooden cup of water and a plate of bread through the gap in the bars.
"At least eat this."
With that, the men departed. Left alone, Elsa surveyed her surroundings.
Three of the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were made of solid stone. The fourth wall consisted entirely of iron bars. There was no way out.
She reached up to her neck. The metal choker was tight, digging into her skin. She tried to pry it off, but it wouldn't budge.
Giving up on the restraint, Elsa drank some of the water. Then, she lay down on the cold, hard floor.
An overwhelming sense of misery washed over her, and tears began to fall.
"Rai, Brother... Jin..."
The older cousin who had always supported her, her own brother, and the friend who could create wonders no one else could even imagine.
Why hadn't she consulted them before running away? The regret was agonizing.
Exhausted, Elsa eventually drifted into a fitful, shallow sleep.
She must have dozed for a few hours before a voice calling her name startled her awake. Sleeping on the stone floor had left her entire body aching.
"The branch manager is calling for you. Come."
Once again, Elsa found her limbs bound. This time, the shackles were connected by chains only thirty centimeters long. If she moved her right arm, the left was yanked along with it; if she tried to step out with her left leg, the right was jerked forward.
She was permitted only the smallest of movements.
Led out of the cell in this state, Elsa nearly stumbled several times, but she managed to keep her footing as she was marched along. Black-masked men flanked her on all sides.
They ascended a long flight of stairs and traversed a lengthy corridor. At the very end, the man leading the way pushed open a heavy door.
"Get inside."
"Augh!"
A shove from the man behind her sent Elsa sprawling. She managed to catch herself with her hands, sparing her face, but her knees hit the floor hard.
"Now, now, you mustn't treat a lady so roughly, you see?"
A slimy voice drifted from the back of the room. Elsa looked up to see a man sitting in a luxurious chair, looking down at her.
He was the only one not wearing a black mask or dark clothing. In fact, he was dressed entirely in white, wearing a robe and a long, flowing mantle.
"Can you stand? My apologies... it seems my subordinates have no idea how to treat a lady, you see? I shall have a stern word with them later, so please, find it in your heart to forgive us."
Though his words were polite, his voice carried an unsettling, nauseating quality. Elsa climbed slowly to her feet.
"Oh, your knee is bleeding. 'Cure'."
He cast a healing spell, and the scrape on Elsa's knee vanished instantly.
"There, much better. Now, allow me to welcome you properly. Welcome, Miss Randol. We are glad to have you."
Elsa studied the man’s face again. He looked to be anywhere from his twenties to his thirties. He had a pale, featureless face and grey hair. His narrow grey eyes held a glint of madness in their depths.
His frame was lanky—even more slender than Reinhard’s—though even sitting down, he appeared to be quite tall.
"I'm... not a... Randol anymore. I... cast that name... aside."
The choker continued to press against her throat, making it difficult to force the words out.
"Ah, I see. My subordinates reported that you were attempting to flee to the Celuroa Kingdom with your wet nurse, you see?"
The man smiled, a smirk as thin and cold as a snake.
"I have been remiss in my introductions. I am Purcell Marces de Kanagelion, the branch manager of the Unifilar 8th branch."
So this is a Unifilar base, Elsa thought, terror finally taking hold. She fought to hide it, repeating the name he had just given her.
"A noble... of the... Celuroa Kingdom?"
In that kingdom, nobles followed a specific naming convention: Name, House Name, and then 'de' followed by their Grant-name.
"Oho, you recognize the style? You are quite the clever young woman, you see?"
His attempts at flattery only deepened Elsa's revulsion.
"Now then, before we move to the main topic..."
Purcell signaled his subordinates to seat Elsa in a simple chair.
"We can't have a lady standing for so long, can we?"
With that, Purcell finally got to the point.
"Now, there are two reasons why I have invited you here. No, perhaps I should say three?"
Whatever they were, Elsa knew they wouldn't be for her benefit. She kept her eyes fixed on Purcell's feet.
"First: leverage against Lord Reinhard. That objective has already been satisfied, you see?"
"Eh?"
For a second, Elsa wondered what she had to do with Reinhard’s situation, but then she realized the truth. If she were held hostage, her kind cousin might feel forced to act in Unifilar's interests.
"Second: the mysterious magi craftman who appeared so suddenly. Jin Nidou, I believe he’s called? I wish to know everything about him and his golems."
They intended to squeeze information about Jin—the man who had thwarted Unifilar’s plans—out of her.
"I... don't know. Even if... I did... I wouldn't... tell you."
Elsa glared at Purcell as she made her declaration.
"...Third: you are an excellent magi. I would like you to join us as a comrade of Unifilar, you see?"
"Never."
Elsa turned her head away sharply.
Purcell’s smirk only widened, as if he enjoyed her defiance.
"You should think very carefully, you see? At the very least, my first objective is already met. If you refuse the second and third, I have my ways of persuading you."
His tone remained polite, but his words were now laced with the coldness of ice. Elsa couldn't help but look him in the eye.
"As long as you are breathing, the first condition remains met. As long as you can speak, the second can be met as well."
The realization of what he was implying drained the color from Elsa’s face.
"Do you understand? Peeling off your fingernails would be a mercy. Breaking your fingers. Slitting your nose. Tearing off your ears. Severing your limbs. There are other methods reserved only for women, of course... though I truly have no desire to subject a lady to such things, you see?"
He's lying. Elsa felt it instinctively. The man before her would take absolute delight in those horrors.
"E-even so... m-my... answer... won't... change."
She spoke with every ounce of defiance she could muster, but her body was trembling.
"Ho, ho... so you enjoy being tormented, then?"
"N-no. Neither... I hate... both."
Purcell burst into laughter.
"My, my, what a spoiled young lady you are, you see? Very well. I shall give you one day to consider. Tomorrow morning, I will ask for your answer again. Think on it very, very carefully until then."
"N-no matter... how much... I think... m-my answer... is the same."
Purcell stared at her, his gaze intense and lingering.
"My, your eyes are truly beautiful, you see? Like the finest aquamarines. I wonder what sort of sound you would make if I were to pluck them out?"
He licked his lips.
"!............"
Elsa quietly lost consciousness.
"Oh, how dull. She’s fainted?...Take her back to the cell."
When Elsa finally came to, she was back in the darkness of her cell. The iron bars were locked tight. With no windows, she had no way of knowing how much time had passed.
However, no matter how much time he gave her, Elsa’s mind was made up. She had already betrayed those she loved once by running away; she would never betray them again.
She would not break, no matter what he did to her.
Suddenly, she remembered Reinhard's words when he had given her the dagger Jin had made.
“For a noblewoman, that blade is a shield to protect her final dignity. You must only draw it when you absolutely, positively refuse to bend your will.”
She understood now what she hadn't understood back then. A way to take her own life. A dagger for that singular purpose.
But she had left that dagger behind. She had discarded it along with her status as a noble.
"Even so... I... will not..."
Elsa made a silent vow. She would never sell out Reinhard or Jin. No matter what happened to her as a result.
"That... is my... pride."
Closing her eyes, scenes from their journey together played behind her eyelids.
"It was... fun."
The journey with Reinhard. The Golem Boat Race. The return trip with Jin. She had learned so much. She had met so many people.
Even now, in the dark, the memory of it warmed her heart.
"I am... content."
She whispered the words and lay her head down. It wasn't yet night, but her exhaustion was deep. Elsa's consciousness slipped away into the dark.